NXT Review: Eddy Thorpe Destroys Trick Williams With a Strap

did represent this year in the royld Rumble. In the last few years, we've had NXT call up you know, not call ups per se, but like NXT wrestlers and for both men and women make make an appearance in the Royal Rumble, which is great, but for the women's Royal Rumble alone, if you count Jordan Grace, which as of so we know that Jordan Grace has signed a

WWE contract. We don't know if she's going to be an n X t or the main roster, but let's let's pretend that she's in NXT for now, because the last time we saw her in WWE before the Rumble was in the in n XT. So so we're gonna count Jordan Grace for now in the as an NXT wrestler until we've proven otherwise Jordan Grace. So, including Jordan Grace, we had six, for my count, six NXT women wrestlers in the World Rumble. Now think about that for a second.

That is one fifth of the entire Rumble. That is one fifth of the entire Royal Rumble roster, like the World Rubble White count. That is huge. And if that doesn't tell you what I've been saying all along for months now. I started this back and I think September starting to do the NX tier. So we're talking we're rolling on five months, right, and I've been talking up not that I need to, but I've been talking up

the NXT Women's division the entire time. And if that, if, if that is a confirmation of what I've been saying this entire time, I don't know what is m Out of thirty people, six were from NXT. If you count Jordan Grace, that's big. And for those of you that don't know who they were, we had Roxanne, came out at number three and ended up being the runner up to Charlotte Flair, the eventual winner, which to me was amazing. So we had Roxanne. We had Julia being the NXT

Women's champion, Julia, Matt Julia, not Gulia Julia. Um. It reminds me of the wedding singer if anybody knows what that reference means. Um. So we had Julia the women's champion. We had Stephanie Va Kiir, who to me is head and shoulders above everybody. That's just my personal opinion. So

we have Julia, stephanieva Kier. We have last Legend, who I was sort of surprised to see, but not really not one hundred percent surprised, because she has been making making waves and like even my father was just like, wow, she's she's amazing. It's like the woman, the woman's great.

And then there's there's so many opportunities for last legend in the main roster to go against, like I mean, just think about it, like Naya Jacks and Becky and just like when eventually when Becky does come back, which we all assume she's going to sorry Matt, but she's she's going to come back. So anyway, last legend, and then we had Jada Parker, who that to me, was the biggest surprise, didn't have a big impact. Jordan Grace did to make fun of her a little bit. She's

not a big impact, but that shows me. And again, there was a ton of people they could have chose from, a ton of women they could have chose from for that, for that rumbo, and it shows me that they really like Jada Parker, which you know, could I mean, it could have been Lola, could have been so Rouke, It could have been lots of people. But I like Jada and I'm glad that she got the opportunity for the rumble,

just to have some eyes. And I have to tell you, out of seventy thousand people at Lucas Oil Stadium, most of them seemed to know the NXT wrestlers. So I thought that was really cool too. Even Jada got a bit of a pop, which I you know, and I think out of all of them, Jada is probably the least known. Maybe that's my own personal opinion, it's not fact. And uh yeah, so she so they all got a big pop. Now, obviously, to me, the biggest pop of the night was Alexa Bliss, but that's just an aside.

But I'm really happy that the women of NXT were very well represented and it just goes to show you the main roster needs call ups from NXT. And I know, you know Matt Matt's response when I had to question one time on his mail bike show, his response was, what are they gonna do with them? Well, the thing is is that right now they're not doing with They're not doing some stuff with the people that are there. So but it was overall, it was a great rumble. It wasn't as to me, last year was better for

the women. But I love the NXT, all the NXT call ups and I'm really you know, it's it's awesome to see that being represented. So on the men's side, there wasn't any NXT call ups from the men unless again this is this is even more of a stretch. Obviously we had Joe Hendry, which obviously I have to I have to give a shout out to Joe Hendry because he he got a huge pop. Again, not the biggest of the night, but it was nice to hear about half of the seventy thousand people they were singing

his song. There's a lot of videos on YouTube, not YouTube, but like TikTok and and Facebook reels and Instagram reels of people reacting to when Joe Henry Joe Hendry came out, either either at Lucas Oil they were reacting or like

at home they were reacting. When I show this one TikTok video of I think it was TikTok of this kid like their father goes such to sing the song on right before and then and then the buzzer hits, and then Joe Hendry comes out, and the kid starts flipping out and he goes, look at I said his name. He came out. Awesome, Joe Hendry. Listen. Is Joe Henry as popular as he was earlier in twenty twenty four?

Probably not that death. Does that mean he's he couldn't be used properly in the future, of course it does. TNA Block dropped the ball on Joe Hendry. They should have had him on the title long, you know, longer before he did. I found it very interesting that they mentioned Nick Nemeth, that he won the title from Nick Nemeth, who for the most I assume most of you know Nick Nemeath was like Dolph Zeguay for fifteen years in WWE, but they uses his actual name, Nick Nemath and not

and not Dolp Seguay, which I found fascinating. So anyway, to me, there was a lot of good representation there from from TNA NXT or was it called nxtn A. They're calling it NXT and A, which I have to tell you, there's been a lot like ever since the deal hit with TNA and WWE, there seems to be a lot more crossover, uh not not just see and I think I've told you guys, I don't have the

Access channel, so I can't watch Impact on Thursdays. I may or may not just have to suck it up and get the TNA because there's so many NXT players in TNA now, like Crossing and vice versa, which we saw with Friendango Slash the Guy, which I'll talk about later. Yeah, it's it's it's fun. It's really fun. The whole NXT NXTNA thing has really been fun. So anyway, let's talk about the show. On Tuesday, we had the February fourth edition of NXT came from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

It followed the Royal Rumble, so there was some mentions of the Royal Rumble obviously because again there was essentially six women from NXT that we're in the Rumble. Okay, so we had first we had. The first match of the night was Stephanie the care versus Jacy Jay. I have to tell you this one. This match was a lot better than I thought it would be. Jacy Jane really held her own against Stephanie. Stephanie made her look

good too. I'm not gonna you know, obviously we gotta give credit for credits due this was a really decent match, and of course at the end Stephanie won and then you know she there was some attempted interference by Jasmine Nicks who attempted to hit Stephanie but then hit hit Jacy Jane by accident and so there wasn't a qualification. Then Stephanie hit hit uh Jasmine Knicks still know the qualification.

Then Stephanie got the win with her finishing move. So yeah, it was it was I I'll tell you it was definitely a good match. I really enjoyed it. Then there was a backstage segment with last Legend in Jakara. They're confronted by Soul Rouken Zari backstage and so which those those two are the weirdest combination to me, and they mentioned it. I mean it's the two of them are

just so opposite it's even funny. So Rokens Zakaria they point out that they lost the tag Team Championship last week and they lost uh you know, and sorry last lost the Royal Rumble and then shot See and Taytam Paxey and Gesu doing come out to you know, kind of stick up for metaphor and they kind of it led to a match later on. So the next we

had a backstage interview with Oba Femi. He was giving a glimpse of the tag team match that they're having later on with him and Chuck Williams versus A Town down Under and and and Oba says, even though they were gonna be in the ring together that Fema is hoping to prove that he is the head and shoulders above his competition. So then we have Lexus King. I am kind of kind I know, I'm kind of going pre you fast today, but I apologize, but it's been a long day and snowing up in the Northeast, so

I have a lot to do. I apologize. So then we have Lexus King talking about uh so, all of a sudden he wins the Heritage Cup after saying he's trying to do the right thing for months at this point, and now all of a sudden he comes out and he's total heel again, like total heel which was And then Any starts talking about the Heritage Cup and how he's changing the rules and there's not going to be anymore anymore rounds and anymore timers and no corner man.

It's just gonna be straight out mass. So basically we're saying the Heritage Cup is just a regular title. Now I guess not to see how that plays out, which the whole I mean, listen, I'm not big on Hatch Cup matches, but you do do the way it's supposed to be done anyway, So now he wants to be on a one fall role. Then then we have Fandango Fandango who now calls himself j d C in TNA, so he's down. He wasn't Fandango a few years ago on n XT he was Fandango. Now he is Johnny Dango.

Curtis in TNA and he then challenges Lexus King uh next week on February eleventh for the Heritage Cup. So next week we're gonna have a match between UH J d C from TNA and and Lexis King. So we'll see how that goes. Now, we just don't know. It's gonna be one faller Herodage Cup rules, so that'll be interesting. Then we have a bit they're talking about a show called wild Cards on I've never seen it before. I'm the CW and Tony D'Angelo has a role UH named

Jaws in an episode coming up. So they they showed a little clip of that and the family is watching backstage, you know. They after the after they show the clip, they come back. The family is all watching it backstage. D'Angelo says to Stax to pick up the fight, pick up the win against Rich Holland because he and Rich have a night have a match coming up next. So we have Stax versus Rich Holland. It's a very quick match.

Holland pretty much dominated the whole match. Is he Dane tried to come out and get involved again like she did last week. This time it backfired and eventually Holland took up to pick up the win. So rich Holand wins against stax Uh. Then we had the next match after that was so Rooker and Zaria versus Tatum Paxley and GZ Dolan. This was as this was as a result of the interaction backstage, Paxley and Dolan get like

they work really well together. I've also knows Jes Dolans seems thinner, which like healthier, Like it's a good thing. I'm glad. I'm glad she's she's getting herself in shape. And I'm not saying that I'm not saying she was ever like a bigger woman, but you know, she looks she looks better. Like overall, they spent a lot of time, So Paxley and Dolan spent a lot of time kind

of isolating sol Ruka and Zaria. So Ruka from Zaria and for most of the match, but eventually Zaria gets in and just to do Zaria things, she like just starts beating the crap out of everybody, and eventually sol Ruka hits the the cutter that she has that she does. I forgot the name of it, which is amazing, which is an amazing it's a backflip cutter that she does off the corner soul Snatcher right, soul Snatcher and thank you for that, and uh and then and then Zaria

and and uh soul Ruka get the win. So it was it was a good match. I like to really like that match too. Again, some women's match, so generally pretty good. Then we have a backstage interview with Trick and he he's clearly upset about not being involved in the n XT Championship met through a triple threat match which is coming up at Vengeance Day on the fifteenth of February. He had some colorful words for Atown down Under and for Femi. He promises that he will be

coming for him soon enough, so don't forget. We have the main event to tag team match between Trick and Oba versus Atown down Under case I failed to mention that. Uh. Then we have the NXT Championship Vengeance Day summit to their billion as. First Bailey comes out, followed by Roxanne, and then Julia comes and they have a verbal war and Julia said she's heard enough. She comes out to

let them know that she runs the whole thing. Enter Enter the twenty twenty five Women's Well rumble Womer so you got so now you have in the ring, You've got you know, Charlotte jumped the gun. In the ring you have Bailey, Julia and Roxanne. And then Charlotte comes out not as dressed as the Queen per se, but you know, just a regular attire. And she said, just as she did on the February third edition of Raw, she lets to know that she could be get she

could be challenging for this title too. Now, the last time she won the Rumble, she challenged Rhea Ripley, who was at the time the NXT champion. Do I think that this is a possibility that this time that she's gonna challenge Julia or whoever is the champion in WrestleMania for the title. No, no, I don't. For a couple of reasons. Number one, I think she's I think Charlotte's

going against Tiffany, I don't. I mean so, during the Royal Rumble on Saturday night, me and a bunch of the guys and if you're and if you're around guys and gals, we had a really it was read a really good time with the Discord Chat that night. Eventually I had to put the Discord Chat down because the discord Chat was jumping ahead of the Royal Rumble, and so I was seeing the discord Chat who was coming

out before the buzzer went off. So I just I didn't want the surprise to be ruined, even though it was only a couple of seconds. But I was trying to explain once Charlotte won the rumble, I was trying to explain everybody in discord Chat, Charlotte's going against Tiffany. I think Matt has said the same thing. Charlotte's going against Tiffany, and if he doesn't listen, if she doesn't, I am prove it wrong. I take no bets. I'm not a betting person, but I prove I'm proven it wrong.

But I'm I can't see her going against Riha again unless they try to build up the whole like best of three now, which I to me like, to me, the best of three, like it's not like it wasn't like seampunkin and Drew McIntyre last year. Like to me, best of three is like it's like month by month by month, like this is like years ago, then two years ago, and then and then now. It's like that seems way too much space to call it a best of three. To be honest, I feel like Charlotte's gonna

goainst Tiffany. I feel like Tiffany is gonna win. I feel like Charlotte is gonna put Tiffany over. I don't know for a fact that that's gonna happen, but I think that would be awesome. And you all don't You all know how much I think Tiffany's the best. So that's just a home me thing anyway. So then Corey Jade comes in and she's she starts just beating a crap out of everybody with a kendo stick, including she went after roxanm too. So that's that friendship looks kind

of broken a bit apparently. And he wouldn't try to hit one of your best friends with the kendo stick, I'm guessing. But at the end of the the end of the segment, and it ends with Jade holding up the NXT Women's Championship, so we'll see how that goes. Next, we have Ethan Page and Javan Evans backstage and Ava with four security guards. He's trying to facilitate a talk between Ethan Page and Javan Evans, although Juan's still wired shut, which it's been a long time now, but I don't

I don't know how that goes. General manager knows that she wanted to suspend Yvon Evans, but Paige insisted on having a match instead, and Aba agrees to the match at Vengeance Day, but only if Evans can get only Von Evans can get medically cleared. So see what happens.

Next match is Colonnie Jordan versus Carmen Petrovich. As the match goes on, Jada Parker comes out, makes her presence felt, and she actually joins the commentary team, although she sat in front of the commentary booth like she wasn't sitting with them. She sat in front of them with the headset on. Anyway, Klonnie, Jordan and Carmen are able to focus on each other until Parker pokes at Jordan a little bit more like not not actually poke, but like

you know, she's like jabbing, you know, like giving her jabs. Eventually, Jordan h picks up the submission victory. So what happened was coloniey Jordans starts like poking back at Jada hits two spilt legged moon salts and could it could have easily pinned Karmen Petrovitch, but ends up putting her in a cross faced chicken wing era Bob Becklan like that

kind of cross faced chicken wing. It gets and gets the submission win, but then she continues to do it to Carmen Petrovitch and the referee then reverses the decision, and I think it's stupid by the way, the referee reversed his decision and gave the match, gave the match by desqualification to Karen Petrovitch, which I don't understand how the ref can do that. Maybe it's just me, but the match is over. Like if that's the case, then you'd have people being disqualified all the time for after

match Snanigan. It's like, it doesn't make any sense. That's just my own personal opinion. Though later on we got uh Stephanie Occurr in the parking lot being interviewed by her upcoming about her upcoming match at Vengeance Day. Excuse me. She sends them warning to fallon Henley and the rest of fatal influence and they don't so okay, as this is this was interesting. I love the way they do these things. By the way, like I just have to

explain this. So Stephanie is doing an interview and the interviewer, I'm guessing it's I hope it doesn't matter. The interviewer is like off cameras, so you don't actually see somebody talking to her. She's just talking kind of off camera. As she's talking about her match at Vengeance Day against Fallen Henley. You see on the left side of her, you see Lola Ice just walking by, and it's just

enough to notice her. By the way. They're doing this a lot more on Ron SmackDown having background people in during interviews in the backstage area, but they but this this was interesting. So yeah, Lolavice comes by and just kind of they kind of like glance at each other but don't say anything like and Lola doesn't even stop saying it, just walks by. So that'll be Lola of Ice and Stephanie. That will be a great interaction. Again.

I still think they're ending up with Julie and Stephanie stand and Deliver in April, but we have some time for that. Okay. Backstage, Bailey says she wants courage aide in a match, so that's gonna happen on the February eleventh NXT episode. So next week Bailey will be facing Courage Aide and that should be really good. Last match of the night is Oba Femi and Trick Williams versus A Town down Under, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. This

was a really good match. Obviously there was a lot of tension between Chick and Oba, but Atown down Under is just so damn entertaining, Like when they're in their element. I think I think they're kind of thriving a bit more because they can be more themselves at NXT, whereas the main roster there's just so much going on. But A Town down Under was great and at the end

of the match. So at the end of the match, Eddie Thorpe came out and Uh dis dished out some lashings with a leather strap on Trick Williams again with the referee turn and then A Town down Under gets

the win as a result. A Town down Under then fled the ring with Femi uh separately, who wasn't really concerned about Williams, and then we had at the end of that, we had Eddie Thorpe beating the crap out of Trick Williams with a strap so obviously they seem to be going towards a strap match between Eddie and Trick Williams at some point, So the question is we will be a standard strap match like they had last year with CM punk and Drew mcintyree had to touch

the four corners, or will be just I'm strapped to you and it's a match and we're gonna play each other and then the standard match. So well have to see how that goes. But overall, I thought it was a decent episode. I think the only the match that wasn't as good as the other ones was probably Kiladi and Karmen Petrivich, although the end was really good about

with with Kalanie just cross faced chicken winging her. She basically was like foot full Bob Backlan like back in the nineties when when Bob Blacklin came back and won the title, like she pretty much went full Bob Backlan on, cross faced chicken wing on Karmen Petrovich. And of course there's also this whole over over arcing storyline about that Ashanti Diodonis, who was out with Karmen Petrivitch as well, is eventually going to leave or just be stupid again.

Again Karmen at some point, so that'll be interesting to see how that that plays up. So anyway, that's that's what happened, and I think it was. Like I said, overall, I think it was a really good episode. In case you all forgot, we have three versions of this show. You don't have to listen to the commercials on Spotify and and Apple podcasts we have. We have the free version of Apple and Spotify, which also and I found out the other day, if you get the free version

on Spotify, apparently it links to Patreon. I thought that's what Matt said. Matt, if I'm wrong, let me know. And then of course we have Patreon, and there's all different levels of Patreon, which and remember to the Patreon if you're a member of Patreon, it gets you access to the discord chat. And I do try, I do try to jump into the Discord discord chat as much as I can. A lot of my guys there, we got DJ Kuzmo, we got we got all kinds of

guys in there. I just just loved talking about what's going on, having a good time, and also too, like you know, we also kind of jump in with the information during the week like if I have a thought, or DJ Kuzmo has a thought, or somebody else has a thought, they they'll they'll pop it into discord Chat and you're gonna and then all of a sudden, you're kind of talking a little about wrestling in the middle of the week without even a wrestling show going on.

But it's really fun to listen or to watch Ross SmackDown, PL's whatever with the discord Chat going because it's kind of it's kind of like if you've been interesting about yourself watching it at home, it's kind of like watching it with buddies. So just something to think about. But that's only if you're a Pagereon member, so find out

about that. If not, I will talk to you soon and I we'll get we'll do the review for February eleventh next week, and from what I can for what I can see, it's also again at the Performance Center next week as well. I think the next time they're on the road with the Cincinnati the last week of February, So for now they're still in the Performance Center. All right, I'll talk to you soon. Thank you everybody. I hope you enjoy your weekend.